Hola amigos! We just spent five heavenly days at the all inclusive resort, Excellence Riviera Cancun. My husband and I went with our five college friends to celebrate my belated thirtieth birthday, along with my other friend Daisy’s thirtieth birthday. This resort is a five star adult only, all-inclusive luxury resort. I hope you find this review helpful in planning your next trip!
Flying to Cancun/Transportation to the resort
Five of us traveled to Cancun from Boston, MA. The first process after getting off the plane was going through immigration. After showing our passports, we went through customs. They only randomly selected people to search your bags. They asked if you had tobacco, liquor, how long you were visiting, and why you were visiting. The officers doing the search were very friendly, and made this process very fast. From customs, we went to baggage claim. Baggage claim was probably the most time consuming process. This took about 25 minutes. When we arrived, my bag was not even on the carousel, and was left on the side of the carousel. We had no issues getting our bags. The resort sent information prior to our arrival regarding transportation. Excellence included free transportation through seasons transportation company. They only offer it for free, if you stay more than 3 nights. The email included what the seasons employees should be wearing and where they should be located. They gave good directions, and were easy to locate. Fernando was awesome on the way to the resort! Excellence Riviera Cancún was just 30 minutes from Cancún national airport. The resort sits on stunning beaches just north of Puerto Morelos.
Checking in
When we arrived at the resort, our doors were opened, our luggage was unloaded and placed on carts. The head bellmen handed each of us a glass of champagne and a warm towel for our hands and said, “Welcome home.” You could already tell the service was going to be remarkable. We both gave our last names and we were both escorted to get checked in. My husband and I were escorted to the excellence club for check in, as we decided to splurge on the rooftop terrace plunge pool room (see details on rooms).
Excellence club
If you are looking for an extra touch to your visit, the excellence club is great to add onto your visit. Some of rooms/packages include the excellence club, like our excellence club two- story rooftop terrace, but you can also add it on. This was a nice surprise, as we didn’t even notice until getting our check in instructions the week prior.
Most of the rooms are the same (unless you book a terrace or a rooftop suite), but the excellence club allows you to get upgraded amenities. Some of them were a private pool for members, private beach area, private check in and concierge, daily fruit basket and chocolates, sparking wine and fresh flowers on arrival, and an upgraded mini bar. The ladies at private check in and out, Olivia and Karen, we’re both really awesome. Olivia gave a lot of great information about the resort and made us feel welcomed. She answered our questions and made the check in process feel fast and efficient. Along with these amenities, the excellence club grants you access to a private lounge and restaurant. Overall, I think it was worth the upgrade as it came with our room. I don’t think we got to enjoy the full experience as a club member, but I think if we returned back to an excellence resort, we’d do the excellence club again!
The property
After checking in, we were escorted by a bellman to our rooms. We were able to take in the fresh air and beautiful views of the resort as we got a tour of the resort, along our way to the room. The grounds of the resort were absolutely beautiful. We found the layout very easy and quick to learn. We were able to get from one side of the resort to another in less than five minutes. The bellman’s detailed tour of the resort led to our room where we met our bags. He gave us a tour of our room and explained how to use the resort’s app. You can scope out the resort map on the excellence app. This is the most updated app. They recommend you download the app on check in for the daily activities, 24 hour room service and menus for dinner and drinks. You can also find the dress code for restaurants. This is really important for some restaurants!
Friends, couples, and groups were celebrating anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, bachelorette parties, or on a relaxing getaway. The resort helped with celebrations by putting banners on the room doorway.
The resort had six pools, five hot tubs, a lazy river, and one swim up bar located throughout the resort. One of my negative reviews of the resort is that the pool was cold and the hot tubs could have been warmer. The lazy river was enjoyable, but just know that it’s really lazy…there’s also no bar! Go with a drink in your hand, problem solved!
The resort is located on the beach that has free cabanas and beach chairs with waiter service. We spent a lot of time on the beach. The reviews complained a lot of the seaweed, but the staff at Excellence Resort worked very hard at maintaining the beaches. We were very impressed with their work. Matilde made our beach days at Excellence serving great beach drinks. My favorite was the banana mama!
Room
We were in an excellence club with a two story rooftop terrace suite ocean front. The rooms had a traditional design with the exception of the rooftop terrace with plunge pool and the Balcony that had a jacuzzi tub.
Everyday my husband and I would come back from dinner and we would have a new towel friend! We thought it was a cute touch.
The beds are fantastic. The rooms are equipped with a mini bar. The display shelf had named brands of tequila, vodka, whiskey, and rum. They also had a nice bottle of red wine. In your fridge, you’ll find your white wine, your favorite Mexican beers, regular and diet soda, water, juice, and snacks. Lots of snacks- so many snacks that we regretted this week, like m & ms, chocolate bars, and Oreos. The water was replenished multiple times a day, which was super important to us! My husband and I were really worried about the water situation in Mexico. Excellence never made us feel like we were asking about bottled water.
The room came with a Nespresso machine, an ice bucket, various glasses, and coffee pods. The fridge area was replenished daily, along with the fresh fruit basket.
The service at excellence continued in the room throughout the day. We noticed it when we returned from breakfast. The bed was made and we had clean towels from our morning shower. The room was cleaned, along with the plunge pool being cleaned. The fridge was replenished. At night, staff provided turndown service. Waters were placed at the bedside and towels were replenished from showers prior to dinner. We never felt like we had to call for anything. They met our needs.
Restaurants
NOM NOM NOM. Let’s get down to everyone’s favorite, the restaurants of the resort. We stayed at the resort for five days, so we weren’t able to try all the restaurants. We smartened up at the end, where someone suggested appetizers at one place and dinner at another. You don’t have to make reservations at restaurants, but we learned as a party of seven that we were able to talk to the food and beverage manager, Fernando and make reservations! This way our party of seven wasn’t split up! Just a little tip. Now, lets get to the good part! Let’s get to it!
The Kitchen Table- international buffets
This option was available for breakfast and lunch. We only ate here once for lunch, but really enjoyed it for breakfast! My husband and I enjoyed their omelet station. Wide variety of choices from bagel lox, bacon, eggs, and Mexican favorites. They also had breakfast desserts like crepes, French toast, pancakes, and churros. Fresh fruit and fresh squeezed juices were offered every morning. Don’t forget the mango and pineapple mimosas!
The Lobster House- Seafood
I was super excited for this meal, as I don’t eat red meat and love seafood! I was honestly disappointed with this meal. We are used to Maine seafood and this didn’t live up to it. The lobster bisque was absolutely trash. Four out of the five people who ordered it at the table disliked it. The coconut shrimp were really flavorful and enjoyable! I definitely recommend adding those to your meal. I got the lobster as a main course and enjoyed it. It’s definitely different from Maine lobster, but it was good! The service was great. The table asked for more bread the the restaurant ran out of bread. All of a sudden… we saw the server run to a different restaurant to get us more bread!
Agave- Mexican
This restaurant was mediocre. I had chicken fajitas and they were tasty. The highlight of the meal was definitely the chips and queso.
The Grill-Steakhouse
The guys are still raving about this meal. We started out with a chef’s appetizer sampler for our party of seven. The empanadas were definitely a crowd favorite. My husband really enjoyed his t- bone steak and my chicken was cooked to perfection. ( again, this girl doesn’t eat red meat!) I honestly have to talk about the service at this restaurant… It was just too fantastic. We complained about it being too cold (ladies, I recommend bringing a sweater. They have the AC in the restaurants and you could possibly be sitting below it). The manager told us unfortunately that they couldn’t control it because it was for the whole building. We told him we understood and it was no problem. Less than five minutes later, the waiter is coming over with table clothes to drape over us to help warm us up… I couldn’t believe it!
Basmati
My husband was very excited to try this restaurant. I was honestly very iffy, but blown away about how much I enjoyed it. We went to Basmati for appetizers. They prepared a chef’s appetizer sampler for our party of five. We really enjoyed the samosa and the bread. My husband of course tried the hottest item on the menu and it blew his mind!
Chez Isabelle- Italian
Everyone always raves about this restaurant and I can honestly say I wasn’t fully impressed. It didn’t live up to the expectation. We went for appetizers and they were good, but they weren’t our favorite. Our table really enjoyed the lamb rack and they had really refreshing salads.
Spice- Asian
This has to be my favorite restaurant on the resort. Our whole party thought so! We went all out at this restaurant. I was very disappointed that hibachi was booked, but honestly I think we benefited by trying everything. For appetizers as a group we had sushi, spring rolls, and chicken skewers. Order the dragon roll and spicy tuna. You’ll thank me later! For dinner, Abby and I split fried rice and pad Thai. Honestly the pad Thai was mediocre… to the point I didn’t eat it. The fried rice though… was fantastic!
Magna- international
This is part of the excellence club benefits. My husband and I enjoyed breakfast the first morning at Magna. They offer breakfast and dinner. The great thing about small portions is that you are able to order a few items to share. We ordered French toast and eggs benedict. The french toast was absolutely delicious. Also, if you ever meet my husband, please ask him how he tried to use his spanish to order a tropical fruit mimosa and got a tropical fruit plate 🥭
Aroma- coffee bar
Honestly, Aroma became part of our daily morning routine in Cancun. We enjoyed the ladies that worked there and they always made a great latte!
Alcohol
There were various bars located throughout the resort. There was one swim up bar, a martini bar, sports bar, an excellence bar, and other various bars. We really enjoyed the excellence bar and the martini bar. Order the peanut Alexander, snickers martini, and of course the classic espresso martini. You will not regret it!
Activities that the resort offered
The resort offered so many activities. We had friends that went snorkeling, visited the Mayan ruins, and went fishing. We honestly took full advantage of the pools and the lazy river. The one activity that we did take advantage of was the sailing that the resort had to offer. It was a great experience and included with our stay for no extra fee.
Entertainment/nightlife
This was definitely a mixed revio.ew amongst our group. We enjoyed the karaoke, African acrobat show, and most of all the fire show. The nightlife of the resort was definitely a slow older vibe. You definitely won’t find a party scene at excellence. I wish I knew how to add a video of the fire show on Wix because the fire show was incredible! Find a video of the fire show on my travel instagram!
Excellence spa
The girls decided to treat themselves when the boys watched the football game at the sports bar. The girls booked a hydrotherapy treatment and massage. We had never had a hydrotherapy treatment. There are a series of steam and sauna rooms, cold plunge pools, warm pools, bubble beds and jets to “shock” your system into relaxation – we ended with a perfect massage and a glass of champagne.
Shop the look
I’ve recently been on a journey on finding a balance between obsessive, healthy eating, and simply being happy. I’ve also learned to dress in things that make me feel… happy! I used to look for things that made me feel skinny or comfortable and I hated those words. The new goal is, happy and healthy.
SHEIN and amazon are always a girls best friend when going on a vacation
As always, your friends closets come in CLUTCH! Thanks Abby!
Last minute tips
I’ll leave you with a few last minute tips. First off, call your cell phone carrier to make sure it works in Mexico. You don’t want to worry about it in the airport. We had a friend who had a hard time with it. Second, pack lots of sunscreen. It’s expensive at the resort. You don’t want to pay that expense. Third, you can tip in US dollars or pesos. Yes, we decided to tip. The service was so good we couldn’t! Fourth, don’t worry if you drink so much that you think the kitchen is the bathroom. The staff won’t be impressed, but it happens to everyone. LAST TIP,
Excellence is worth every penny!
I hope you found this review helpful in planning your next trip to Cancun. If you find that this review helped you at all, please follow me on Instagram (@travelingbeebryantRN). I love to write these kind of reviews to help the next person plan their perfect vacation! I am currently in the midst of planning my next trip cross country. I 100% suggest traveling cross country with your husband. That’s my current agenda for the week. I’m traveling from Nashua NH to Springfield Oregon for a travel nursing contract.
We have some fun things planned on our adventure, like some national parks, meeting up with some friends, ice castles, a hot spring, and who knows where our adventure will take us. Travel nursing has truly helped my career path. I finally can say I’m starting to fall in love with nursing again. Please join me for my next blog and upcoming reviews of our upcoming travel journey. Catch me on Instagram: Dominique Bryant 🩺 (@travelingbeebryantrn) • Instagram photos and videos🩺 (@travelingbeebryantrn) • Instagram photos and videos
TravelingbeebryantRN & Flicks_withNick 
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